The United Nations General Assembly is held in New York.Photo: Flip the official website of the United Nations
The UN General Assembly today overwhelmingly passed a resolution condemning Russia’s aggression once morest Ukraine and calling for Moscow to withdraw its troops unconditionally. Led by the United States, the United Nations Security Council last week called for an emergency special meeting of 193 member states on the situation in Ukraine for the first time in 40 years. After nearly three days of speeches, 141 countries supported the condemnation of Russia’s aggression once morest Ukraine, but the resolution was not legally binding. China, which once declared that Sino-Russian cooperation “has no restricted area”, abstained in the vote.
Russia was stubbornly resisted following its massive invasion of Ukraine last week and failed to quickly seize key strongholds such as the Ukrainian capital Kyiv. Now it has stepped up its offensive and the Ukrainian refugee crisis has intensified. The UN General Assembly’s resolution to “deplore” Russia’s aggression once morest Ukraine and demand an immediate, comprehensive and unconditional withdrawal of troops is not legally binding and has only political influence in the international community. Whether it can change Moscow’s calculations remains to be seen.
Before the vote, Ukraine’s ambassador to the United Nations, Sergiy Kyslytsya, received loud applause in the General Assembly Hall. After the vote, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres praised the message of the General Assembly resolution. “The message of the conference is clear and clear: stop the fighting in Ukraine immediately, silence the guns and open the door to dialogue and diplomacy. Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty must be respected in accordance with the UN Charter,” he said.
The Russian-Ukrainian war broke out a week ago, and the United States immediately drafted a resolution in the UN Security Council condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Eleven countries voted in favor, but Russia, a permanent member of the UN Security Council, exercised a veto, while China, India, and the United Arab Emirates abstained. The United States then joined forces with many Western countries to push the UN General Assembly to hold its 11th emergency special session this week.
The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, pointed out that the images showed that the Russian army brought into Ukraine weapons prohibited by the Geneva Convention, such as cluster bombs, which should not be on the battlefield. After nearly 3 days of speeches, 141 countries supported and condemned Russia’s aggression once morest Ukraine, 5 countries including Russia, Belarus and North Korea voted once morest it, and 35 countries including China, India and Iran chose to abstain. When the results of the vote appeared on the screen in the General Assembly Hall of the United Nations Headquarters, the delegates stood up and applauded.
Russia’s ambassador to the United Nations, Vassily Nebenzia, denied that Moscow targeted Ukrainian civilians and warned that a resolution condemning Russia might lead to further escalation of tensions. Zhang Jun, China’s permanent representative to the United Nations, explained China’s decision to abstain from voting, saying that the draft resolution has not been fully consulted by all member states, has not fully considered the historical latitude and complex contradictions behind the current crisis, and has not emphasized the urgency of promoting a political solution and strengthening diplomatic efforts. It is inconsistent with China’s consistent position.
